If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

User Info Menu

Join Date

Dec 2008

Posts

1,645

WR draft overview

I just finished reading an article WR Butler from Iowa St. and in the comments people were saying we should draft a WR early, but I am sort of against that. This draft is a deep. And then I found a good read on Walter Football by Charlie Campbell.

This year's class of wide receivers is very underwhelming. It has decent depth for the second day of the draft, as there are a lot of solid wide receivers who are worthy of being picked in the second through fourth round. That is where the value lies in this receiver class, but it lacks top-end talent for the first round.

If you were to merge the two classes together, D.K. Metcalf would be the fourth receiver selected, because he is not as good of a prospect as D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley or Courtland Sutton. In last year's draft, Metcalf would have been a second-round pick. Parris Campbell, Marquise Brown, A.J. Brown, and Deebo Samuel are also not as good as Sutton, although they are better than Dante Pettis and Christian Kirk. Riley Ridley and N'Keal Harry are second-round receivers of the same ilk as Anthony Miller and James Washington. Kelvin Harmon would go behind Chark.

My track record here is pretty good. Hopkins has turned into one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position and is a phenomenal play-maker. Watkins hasn't put it all together for a string of big seasons, but he has played well when healthy. Cooper has been inconsistent, but looks like he is still going to have a decent NFL career. Fuller has been excellent when healthy and is underrated across the league. Davis was injured for a lot of his rookie year and flashed some in 2018. Christian Kirk had a solid rookie year despite Arizona struggling in all phases.

This was a tough choice between my top candidates of Parris Campbell, Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown. I ended up selecting Samuel because he is a pure football player. That was seen at South Carolina, where he was an excellent receiver who also contributed on special teams. He also proved it at the Senior Bowl. Samuel is a fast wide receiver who is dangerous with the ball in his hands. I think he is a safe pick to end up being a quality NFL wideout.

My track record here is good. Tate was a seventh-round pick, so if he doesn't pan out for the Bengals he wouldn't be a true bust given where they took him. Samuel didn't do much as a rookie, but he flashed some serious ability as a second-year pro. Other than him, the rest of the group looks like a collection of busts. In 2016, I almost went with Laquon Treadwell instead of choosing Coleman. Both of them have been major disappointments as first-round picks, and Coleman was a huge bust for the Browns. Funchess had a decent season for Carolina, but overall, he has been a disappointment, and the Panthers were not interested in re-signing him when he hit free agency. Benjamin has had a roller coaster career, and he ended up being a disappointment for Carolina and Buffalo. Patterson was a bust for Minnesota.

Of the early-rounders, Harry stands out to me as having bust potential. The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder has good size to him, but I think he is going to struggle to separate from NFL cornerbacks. While he has some height and weight, he is not overwhelmingly big. Harry is not twitchy, explosive or sudden. I think he is similar to Laquan Treadwell coming out of Ole Miss, so I see some dangerous bust potential with Harry.

Recap: A few wide receivers coach told me that the ability to separate from coverage is the first trait they look for in scouting draft prospects. Marquise Brown is the best in this draft class at achieving space from defensive backs. He does it with vertical speed, quick feet, fast route running, and suddenness out of his breaks. Brown's separation skill is one of his best traits.

Campbell is another speed receiver who can separate from defensive backs based on his pure foot speed. He is tough for defensive backs to run with and is able to generate space running vertically or crossing the field.

Samuel and Ridley are shifty receivers who have short-area quickness with the speed to get downfield. Both of them can challenge defensive backs and make it tough for them to prevent space.

Metcalf can separatie by using his tremendous speed to run vertical routes downfield. Defensive backs have a hard time running with him, and he can flat out fly by them. However, Metcalf needs work as a route-runner and ran limited routes in college, so separating on route-running is a point of improvement for him entering the NFL.

In the NFL, the trio of A.J. Brown, Harry and Harmon won't be huge separation receivers. Brown is a good route-runner who uses his size and strength to get late separation for his quarterback. While he doesn't generate a lot of space, Brown can get enough separation on slants and other underneath routes to help move the chains. Harry and Harmon will struggle to separate from NFL cornerbacks. They will have to win on a lot of contested catches when going against man coverage.

ďIím so tired of LeíVeon," DeCastro told reporters (h/t ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ([url]https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1038909446146203649[/url])) after Sunday's game. "Iím so tired of it. Letís just worry about the guys in here. I know you guys have stories to write and what not. I love LeíVeon, but we gotta worry about the guys in here. Theyíre the only people that matter to me."

User Info Menu

Join Date

Dec 2008

Posts

1,645

Maybe we go this route if he falls to us and since 2nd round has been good to us lately for WR.
1.20) Murray
2.52) Samuels WR
3.66) Savage/Hooker
3.83) Pratt ILB or one of those ILB brought in for a visit
4.121) Moreau
5) Long WV ILB or Akron ILB
6) Mack DL Texas
6) Mack TE
6) jo moma *
7) jo popa*

*ok i got lazy at end of mock

ďIím so tired of LeíVeon," DeCastro told reporters (h/t ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ([url]https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1038909446146203649[/url])) after Sunday's game. "Iím so tired of it. Letís just worry about the guys in here. I know you guys have stories to write and what not. I love LeíVeon, but we gotta worry about the guys in here. Theyíre the only people that matter to me."

User Info Menu

I don't think Kyler Murray is going to be available for us to draft with the 20th overall pick.

*and, yes, I realize that you most likely meant to type Murphy, not Murray (as in Washington CB Byron)*

It was just too easy...you tossed me a softball, brother.

Now I know why people on her hate you here ! LOL

ďIím so tired of LeíVeon," DeCastro told reporters (h/t ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ([url]https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1038909446146203649[/url])) after Sunday's game. "Iím so tired of it. Letís just worry about the guys in here. I know you guys have stories to write and what not. I love LeíVeon, but we gotta worry about the guys in here. Theyíre the only people that matter to me."

User Info Menu

Join Date

Apr 2017

Posts

827

Originally Posted by steeler_george

I just finished reading an article WR Butler from Iowa St. and in the comments people were saying we should draft a WR early, but I am sort of against that. This draft is a deep. And then I found a good read on Walter Football by Charlie Campbell.

This year's class of wide receivers is very underwhelming. It has decent depth for the second day of the draft, as there are a lot of solid wide receivers who are worthy of being picked in the second through fourth round. That is where the value lies in this receiver class, but it lacks top-end talent for the first round.

If you were to merge the two classes together, D.K. Metcalf would be the fourth receiver selected, because he is not as good of a prospect as D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley or Courtland Sutton. In last year's draft, Metcalf would have been a second-round pick. Parris Campbell, Marquise Brown, A.J. Brown, and Deebo Samuel are also not as good as Sutton, although they are better than Dante Pettis and Christian Kirk. Riley Ridley and N'Keal Harry are second-round receivers of the same ilk as Anthony Miller and James Washington. Kelvin Harmon would go behind Chark.

My track record here is pretty good. Hopkins has turned into one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position and is a phenomenal play-maker. Watkins hasn't put it all together for a string of big seasons, but he has played well when healthy. Cooper has been inconsistent, but looks like he is still going to have a decent NFL career. Fuller has been excellent when healthy and is underrated across the league. Davis was injured for a lot of his rookie year and flashed some in 2018. Christian Kirk had a solid rookie year despite Arizona struggling in all phases.

This was a tough choice between my top candidates of Parris Campbell, Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown. I ended up selecting Samuel because he is a pure football player. That was seen at South Carolina, where he was an excellent receiver who also contributed on special teams. He also proved it at the Senior Bowl. Samuel is a fast wide receiver who is dangerous with the ball in his hands. I think he is a safe pick to end up being a quality NFL wideout.

My track record here is good. Tate was a seventh-round pick, so if he doesn't pan out for the Bengals he wouldn't be a true bust given where they took him. Samuel didn't do much as a rookie, but he flashed some serious ability as a second-year pro. Other than him, the rest of the group looks like a collection of busts. In 2016, I almost went with Laquon Treadwell instead of choosing Coleman. Both of them have been major disappointments as first-round picks, and Coleman was a huge bust for the Browns. Funchess had a decent season for Carolina, but overall, he has been a disappointment, and the Panthers were not interested in re-signing him when he hit free agency. Benjamin has had a roller coaster career, and he ended up being a disappointment for Carolina and Buffalo. Patterson was a bust for Minnesota.

Of the early-rounders, Harry stands out to me as having bust potential. The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder has good size to him, but I think he is going to struggle to separate from NFL cornerbacks. While he has some height and weight, he is not overwhelmingly big. Harry is not twitchy, explosive or sudden. I think he is similar to Laquan Treadwell coming out of Ole Miss, so I see some dangerous bust potential with Harry.

Recap: A few wide receivers coach told me that the ability to separate from coverage is the first trait they look for in scouting draft prospects. Marquise Brown is the best in this draft class at achieving space from defensive backs. He does it with vertical speed, quick feet, fast route running, and suddenness out of his breaks. Brown's separation skill is one of his best traits.

Campbell is another speed receiver who can separate from defensive backs based on his pure foot speed. He is tough for defensive backs to run with and is able to generate space running vertically or crossing the field.

Samuel and Ridley are shifty receivers who have short-area quickness with the speed to get downfield. Both of them can challenge defensive backs and make it tough for them to prevent space.

Metcalf can separatie by using his tremendous speed to run vertical routes downfield. Defensive backs have a hard time running with him, and he can flat out fly by them. However, Metcalf needs work as a route-runner and ran limited routes in college, so separating on route-running is a point of improvement for him entering the NFL.

In the NFL, the trio of A.J. Brown, Harry and Harmon won't be huge separation receivers. Brown is a good route-runner who uses his size and strength to get late separation for his quarterback. While he doesn't generate a lot of space, Brown can get enough separation on slants and other underneath routes to help move the chains. Harry and Harmon will struggle to separate from NFL cornerbacks. They will have to win on a lot of contested catches when going against man coverage.

Excellent post...Thanks..Campbell or Samuel in the 2nd would work for me...Would Ridley last to our high pick in the 3rd?

User Info Menu

Join Date

Apr 2017

Posts

7,710

Samuel is another WR that indeed has caught my attention and I do think he last until the 3rd round. He's on our radar because we've visited with him as well.

From the 2010-2018 season, (An 8 year period that the majority of Cowher's players & coaches had left) Mike Tomlin has only won 3 playoff games. And two of those wins were against back up Quarterbacks. Our history has been defined by what we do in the postseason; not the regular season.

User Info Menu

Join Date

May 2008

Location

on the "Ignore" list

Posts

33,022

I like Deebo, but he seems to me to be halfway between Juju and James Washington as a player. We have guys like that already.

I want a taller, faster guy to take the top off the defense (a more stable version of Martavis Bryant), thereby opening things up underneath (even if they don't have the greatest hands or run the crispest routes).

Hakeem Butler (6'5" 227 lbs. 4.48 40) or Miles Boykin (6'4" 220 lbs. 4.42 40) could likely be had in round 3 and would give us a different style of receiver than what we already have.

User Info Menu

Samuel is the one I'd love to get with our first pick in Round 3. Not sure he gets out of Round 2

I've got a man crush on Butler. He seems to have it all. Just needs some coaching on a professional level. Unfortunately I think Butler ends up with the Cardinals.

From the 2010-2018 season, (An 8 year period that the majority of Cowher's players & coaches had left) Mike Tomlin has only won 3 playoff games. And two of those wins were against back up Quarterbacks. Our history has been defined by what we do in the postseason; not the regular season.